1970 Rover 2000 TC Winter Beater of Distinction - NEW! Now with Colour Photographs

[Junkman]

Late summer: long, sunny, unproductive afternoons and warm, boozy evenings, with plenty of time for idle contemplation and commencing WBoD shopping on the internet's bottomless used-car market. Well, almost bottomless. I can usually be found exploring the classic car counterpart to the Marianas Trench, often battling the biggest Autoshiter himself for the bring-a-battery bargains that show up under headlines like Ideal for Banger Racing and Going to the Scrappy on Friday.
 
However, this year's search was hitherto oddly unsuccessful, for which I solemnly blame the piece of Stalinistic social engineering, that is labelled "Scrappage Scheme" by the political correctness inclined.
 
Having already given up and inwardly surrendered the trophy for the WBotY (Winter Beater of the Year) to a friend of mine, who secured himself a Mazda RX7 roadster to master the impeding OMGSNOKAOS with, opportunity suddenly knocked, and I can now proudly announce to have annihilated him in the competition for the esteemed WBotY prize this season, by purchasing a
 
1970 Rover 2000 TC
 
in all its hearing-aid-beige glory of faded Tobacco Leaf paint, a kind of grinning in the face of hopeless obsolescence mixed with an air of subtle menace that surrounds those with almost nothing to lose, the vehicular equivalent of a homeless rottweiler.
This sweetheart steps out fed by two carburetters, shredding on command the decrepit museum-ready radials, needless to say a different one of them at each corner, while I can recline in cracked leather comfort, burning huge spliffs and sneering at the mortals in their finance-plan shame-sheds.

 

I'm going to pick it up tomorrow and the way things are looking, I expect that the 3 odd miles trip home will make for an epic collection saga.

[dollywobbler]

I await further details. Tobacco Leaf is the colour of success.

[Jim Bell]

Nice colour for guitars and cars.

 

Much interested for pictures pls.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Junkman: the autoshiter's autoshiter, has struck again.

[dugong]

[shrugs and gets camera kit]

[chaseracer]

...radials, needless to say a different one of them at each corner...

You will find this feature surprisingly useful...

 

[Junkman]

Thine fronts and thine rears and thine lefts and thine rights

shall not be of the same size, nor the same brand, nor age, nor type.

Let not thine rims be too bloody shiny, either.

For vanity is a sin for summer.

Thou shalt do this in remembrance of me.

For thou knowest who thou art. Yes, I'm looking at thou.

 

Junkman, Psalm 30/30

[eddyramrod]

decrepit museum-ready radials, needless to say a different one of them at each corner,

A perfect match for Micrashed's new Cherry then!    I never did get round to ordering a set of lush new whitewalls to replace the motley collection of 155s helpfully supplied by dave862 of this parish... Thanks Dave!

 

And Junkman: top work sir!

[HMC]

looking forwards to the 'reveal'

 

Faded tobacco leaf- has there ever been a more autoshite colour?

[rml2345]

This should be worth seeing! Pictures of course or it didn't happen.

[chaseracer]

Faded tobacco leaf- has there ever been a more autoshite colour?

Or 'dark beige', as it is otherwise known...

 

[londonm]

I've always adored these cars, ever since my uncle turned up in a new one in about 1971. The opulence was fantastic, and being dropped off at school in it made me feel regal. I'm just not brave enough to own one now. Can we see pictures please?

[mercrocker]

2000TCs were Grandfather's weapon of choice when I was young enough to have such relations.  I am now a grandad myself and still have no P6.  WWW?   Good luck with your another, Junkman.  Tobacco Leaf, possibly the only Rover colour.   Certainly the only one that matches my cowboy boots....

[Asimo]

 

Outside the pub today. What is this colour called? Always thought they should have done a two door P6.

[richardthestag]

which bit? looks like at least 4 shades of something to me, rear wing looks very rattlecan. Oh the joy of bolt on panels.

 

Morris has a similar shade, teal blue I think but doubt Rover would have stooped to the BL parts bins for their paint

 

I scratched my P6 itch long ago but fear it might resurface again.

[mercrocker]

Corsica blue I think looks too blue for Zircon...hard to tell with the fade!

[drum]

An ancient rover for winter - how very foolhardy of you.

 

My mate has a P6 2000 but it's not a TC. Too old I think, being 1964. It has some very nice details like courtesy lights in the footwells.

[Junkman]

Corsica blue I think looks too blue for Zircon...hard to tell with the fade!

 

You are, of course, correct, Sir.

 

 

Anyway, mine made it home in one piece, although it's running a tad rough. This may be due to it having very little use over the past 1.5 years and practically none at all since its MoT in March.

My apologies for still no pics, but it's dark outside and the rechargeables in my camera have not enough juice left for the flash. I know how this must feel in this time and age, where even instant gratification takes too long, but your patience will be rewarded tomorrow.

[Junkman]

An ancient rover for winter - how very foolhardy of you.

 

My mate has a P6 2000 but it's not a TC. Too old I think, being 1964. It has some very nice details like courtesy lights in the footwells.

 

The footwell illumination must be a DIY job, no P6 left the factory with it. However, an optional extra on series II cars is a passenger reading light mounted to this side of the dashboard, which can be turned upside down to either illuminate the open glovebox, or the footwell when the glovebox is closed.

[purplebargeken]

I await the recharging of the batteries with an untold amount of glee and desire. Can we have a side by side shoot of the Rover and a Moby perhaps?

[mercrocker]

All this is stoking the bittersweet fire of nostalgia in me, always prevalent in this "festive" month.   The interior of a P6 at night (especially Series II), as Junkman has said before,is a very special place. I remember those generic BL map lights, so simple....Soft green glow around the switches, Radio 4,the sweet burble of the exhaust (even the 4 pots have their own sound) and the smell of a brand new  P6 - I can still sense it but cant describe  it, faintly Pledge, ever so slightly Uniflo and the merest undertone of seasoned  leather is the best I can do.   I still have all the stuff that  came with the first Grandad Rover - it made a huge impression on me at 7 years old....

[oman5]

Yes. I approve. well done sir!

[Junkman]

Roite.

It was already dark when I picked up the car yesterday. It was filled to the brim with interior parts, so only the driver's seat was useable.

This morning, I removed this from the car:

 

 

The previous owner was in the process of installing a black interior, but this was only half the way done.

Also, the black interior is by no means complete, only seats, 3 door cards, and the gloveboxes are present.

So I decided to rip out the black bits that were already in the car and reinstall the beige (Sandalwood in Rover parlance) bits that were already removed.

 

 

 

Here the rear seats are reinstalled:

 

 

 

Then the front seats:

 

 

 

And the car itself:

 

 

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

That is far, far better than your original description would have me believe... Not a winter beater at all, more of a 'keep in garage, polish frequently and drive on a Sunday' kind of car.

 

I'm really jealous... If only P6s weren't that scary

[mercrocker]

Fab-tastic....It looked like you were contemplating a two-tone interior there!  Tan is deffo the way forward.  Its nice  to see proper rear plates on a P6 too.

[carlo]

IMG_4423.JPG

 

Outside the pub today. What is this colour called? Always thought they should have done a two door P6.

 

Graber did a couple, they look even better than the saloon.

 

[Junkman]

That is far, far better than your original description would have me believe... Not a winter beater at all, more of a 'keep in garage, polish frequently and drive on a Sunday' kind of car.

 

I'm really jealous... If only P6s weren't that scary

 

Trust me, the car isn't even close to what the photos suggest.

 

However, it drives quite nicely, especially after tinkering a bit with the many carburetters.

Having said that, it's a far cry below the bentleyesque conveyance a V8 provides.

One has to drive both cars to believe the difference.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Trust me, the car isn't even close to what the photos suggest.

 

Is it the patina, or does the straight panelwork hide a frame that is full of filler and crumpled up 1990s Daily Mail ?

[dollywobbler]

Too true. My mistake was buying a V8 first, then getting a 2000SC. The four-pot felt ridiculously feeble, and drank the same amount of fuel near enough. Did drive a 2200TC recently (also Tobacco Leaf). That was very pleasant with a useful amount of urge. May require less thrashing than an SC, so perhaps better on fuel?

 

In fact, I drove the 2200 back to back with a W123, and could only conclude that Mercedes-Benz spent an awful lot of money just to come up with a car that drives remarkably like a Rover P6, but with poorer handling.

[Junkman]

It is fairly solid where it matters, but far from rust-free. I already found a few spots where welding is required, although none MoT-relevant.

There is a fair amount of bog to make the panels appear straight and the car is partially brush-painted.

It wants a total respray really, better front seats, a carpet set, some chrome work, and a few other odds and ends.

Considering the going rate for these, I'm afraid none of this would be justifiable.